ARIZONA COOP E R AT I V E
E TENSION
AZ1053
Feeding Management for Show Lambs
Jim Sprinkle
Purchase of Animal
As a general rule, lambs are not purchased until they are
at least 8 weeks old and exceed 40 lbs. in weight. The lamb
should gain an average of .5 to .8 lbs. a day while you are
feeding him. Knowing this, you can calculate what weight
animal you need to buy and the number of days you will
have to feed him to obtain the final weight from 110 to 140
lbs.
When the animal is bought, see if shots for enterotoxemia
(Clostridium perfringens C and D) have been given. These
shots require an initial shot and a booster shot 2 weeks
later and are not usually given before 4 weeks of age. It
is imperative that lambs be up to date for enterotoxemia
(overeating disease) when they are placed on a grain ration.
Otherwise, sudden death can occur in the lamb. If the lamb
has not been vaccinated, you should purchase a shot from
a veterinarian and repeat the vaccination 2 weeks later. The
veterinarian can tell you how to give the shots. Medicated
rations (with Chlortetracycline) are also available to help
prevent the occurrence of enterotoxemia.
Rations
When the lamb is received, he should be started on an
all hay diet unless he is used to grain. Also, if the lamb is
not used to alfalfa hay, he should be fed high quality grass
hay for the first few days to prevent bloat. Gradually, the
hay can be changed to all alfalfa or alfalfa-grass mix. After
the first 3 days, change over to alfalfa by 25% substitution,
wait 2 days, then 50% substitution, wait 2 days, then 75%
substitution, wait 2 days, then 100% alfalfa. Molasses lick
blocks with Bloat Guard (poloxalene) can be placed in the
feed bunk to help prevent bloat from alfalfa. Also, after the
lamb is eating grain, feeding commercial feeds with the feed
additive lasalocid can also help prevent bloat.
Feeding grain should be introduced slowly to avoid
digestive upsets, acidosis, and possible death. It takes at
least 2 to 3 weeks for the rumen microbes to adjust to a
grain diet. Start introducing grain (if the lamb is not already
used to it) after the first 3 days of the feeding period. Start
byfeeding .25 lbs grain for 3 days in addition to free choice
Revised 08/09
hay. At the end of the 3 day period, increase the grain up to
.5 lbs. if the lamb is cleaning up all its grain. Feed this ration
for 3 days, then increase grain up to 1 lb. Monitor to make
sure the lamb is eating all his grain then increase grain to 1.5
lbs. unless this exceeds 50% grain in the ration. Hold the 1.5
lbs. of grain constant for 1 week. Once the ration is up to 40
or 50% grain, hold this diet constant until the lamb weighs
around 65 to 70 lbs. Exceptions to this feeding regime would
be young lambs less than 50 lbs. which need additional total
digestible nutrients (TDN) in their ration (see Tables 1 and
2). Table 3 provides information of proportions of grain
needed for different TDN levels.
If your lamb weighs as much as 80 lbs. and you have 90
days or more until the show, you will not need to increase
the grain in the ration beyond 50%. Otherwise the lamb
will get too fat.
After the lamb exceeds 70 lbs., he is ready to be switched
from the grower to finishing ration. If you are pushed for
time in getting your lamb to the correct final weight, you
will need to step up the ration to a finishing ration as quickly
as possible. Increase grain content of the ration by 10% per
week until you have reached the desired TDN level for the
gain you desire (Table 2 and Table 3). Most likely, the final
finishing ration will contain about 75% grain in the ration.
However, if your lamb is prone to digestive upsets, you may
not be able to feed above 50 to 70% grain unless a medicated
ration is fed.
Lambs on finishing rations are very prone to digestive
upsets and acidosis. Should the lamb’s stool become
loose and lose pellet consistency, remove all grain until
he becomes normal. You may need to get your 4-H leader
or veterinarian to look at him also. Animals which have
a tendency to develop mild acidosis and loose stools will
need to be fed a medicated ration. These rations will contain
either chlortetracycline or lasalocid. Medicated rations do
have a withdrawal time which will need to be complied with
before the show and sale. Contact your feed dealer to find
out what the withdrawal time is before slaughter. In most
cases, feeding a medicated ration will eliminate problems
with acidosis or enterotoxemia.
 If your lamb is gaining too much weight or getting too
fat, you will need to either reduce the percentage of grain
in the ration or change to a lower energy grain such as oats.
This should be combined with an exercise program for the
show lamb. It is a good idea to exercise your lamb to build
up his muscle tone prior to the show.
Some 4-H’ers have had good luck in getting lambs in show
trim by replacing hay with hay cubes the final 30 dyas before
the show. This helps eliminate “hay belly.”
Dietary Intake
Successfully showing a show lamb requires pre-planning.
Oftentimes, it is a struggle to keep a lamb from becoming
over finished for the fair. Buying a show lamb within an
acceptable weight range will help you meet your target
show weight. Growing lambs will eat about 4% of their body
weight each day if given a choice. As the lamb ages and
slows down lean muscle deposition, appetite will decline.
For a 110 lb. lamb, free choice feed consumption will equal
about 3% of body weight per day. So, to obtain daily feed
intake for a lamb you wish to grow at its maximum rate,
multiply its body weight by .04 for a younger lamb and by
.03 for an older lamb. For lambs for which minimal weight
gain is a goal (due to becoming too heavy for the fair),
use guidelines in Table 4. Table 4 provides information on
minimum amounts of feed required to achieve weight gains
desired. You will need to adjust the feed weights shown to fit
your lamb. It is important to keep the lamb gaining weight
prior to the sale, even if it is a small amount. Otherwise,
you may have a lamb at the sale that is “stale” and will
not show well. Obviously, you do not want to get him over
finished either.
For example, for heavy muscled black face lambs, market
weight is usually around 125 lbs. At a minimum, the lamb
will probably gain at least .50 to .75 lbs./d. If you bought a
lamb that weighed 80 lbs. at 110 days before the show, the
lamb would need to gain .40 lbs./d {(125 – 80) ÷ 110 = .409
lbs./d}. You will need to combine some exercise with the
lamb’s feeding program in order to keep it from getting over
finished. You could also lower the energy content of the feed
by using lower energy grains in the ration, like oats instead
of a sweet mix grain ration containing corn. Corn is around
91% digestible, barley about 84%, and oats 76% digestible.
So, to slow down average daily gain in a grain diet, more
oats instead of corn could be used in the ration.
From Table 4, the daily maintenance portion of the ration
for the aforementioned lamb weighing 110 lbs. would
require 0.91 lbs/d of a 70% TDN ration. Adjusting for the
moisture in the feed (usually about 10%) would increase
this portion of the daily feed to 1.0 lbs./d. To accommodate
the additional feed for gain (0.40 lbs./day) would require an
additional 1.79 lbs./d of feed on a dry matter basis, or 1.99
lbs. as fed (1.79 ÷ .90 = 1.988). So, we would estimate that we
would need to feed this lamb about 3 lbs/d of feed to meet
his requirements for both maintenance and growth.
2 The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
Scientific calculations need to be calibrated against the
performance of the animal you are feeding. Scientific tables
are determined from pen averages in feeding trials and your
lamb may be different from the average lamb. Frequent
weighing of your lamb every two to three weeks can assist
in meeting the preferred show weight. If you do not have
access to a scale, you can estimate body weight following
the guidelines shown in Figure 1.
In addition to the science of feeding using feed tables from
scientific experiments, there is also an “art” to producing
show lambs. You can monitor finish on the lamb in several
places. Once of the first places fat is deposited is immediately
behind the shoulder. Fat continues to accumulate in the
flank, and then in the twist (between the hind legs), and
in the brisket. When fat has accumulated in the twist and
brisket, the lamb is already over finished. We want to have
minimal fat in the shoulder and flank. We also want to have
minimal fat cover over the ribs. A measure of leanness in
the lamb carcass is determined by using yield grades. The
leaner the lamb, the lower the yield grade number. We are
striving to obtain a yield grade of 1 for show lambs, which
only accommodates a maximum of 0.15 inches backfat over
the 12th rib. How much backfat is 0.15 inches? Not very
much! If you palpate the backfat on your lamb, then you
want the amount under your finger (excluding the pelt) to
be about the width of a freshly sharpened pencil ½ way up
the tapered edge.
Protein
It is important to meet the animal’s daily protein
requirements in order to achieve desired weight gains.
Tables 1 and 2 show the protein requirements for the desired
weight gains. If you determine that protein is inadequate
for the feed mixture you are feeding (Table 3), then protein
needs to be substituted for part of the grain in the ration.
The most common protein supplements are cottonseed meal
(75% TDN, 44.8% protein), soybean meal (81% TDN, 51.3%
protein), and linseed meal (76% TDN, 38.6% protein). Table
5 lists nutrients in different feeds and forages.
Example protein substitution problem . If a lamb
weighed 44 pounds and was fed 1.76 pounds of a 30% alfalfa
hay/ 70% corn diet, crude protein in the diet would be 10.9%
(Table 3) or .19 pounds of protein (1.76 lbs.* .109 protein
= .19 lbs. protein). If the desired gain was .55 pounds per
day, then this lamb with moderate growth potential would
be deficient .18 pounds of protein. (See Table 1. Protein
requirements of .37 pounds - .19 lbs. protein supplied = .18
pounds.) To determine the amount of protein to substitute
for corn, divide the amount of protein needed by the amount
of protein per pound of protein supplement.
Accounting for 10% moisture in feeds (.40 lbs. cottonseed
meal ÷ .9 = .44 lbs. cottonseed meal), about ½ pound of
cottonseed meal would need to be substituted for corn. The
TDN content would only change slightly (78.2% instead
of 78.7%), so this would not be anything to worry about.
Unless forages are used for protein supplements, TDN will
not change much when substituting protein for grain.

Minerals
It is better to supply a trace mineral block to the lamb
which is specifically designed for sheep. Sheep are very
sensitive to higher levels of copper which may be present
in cattle salt. The recommended concentration for sheep is
around 8 parts of copper per million parts of salt (8 ppm).
Salt with copper levels of 25 ppm could possibly kill a
sheep.
Another problem which has been observed in male sheep
on grain diets is urinary calculi. Urinary calculi is something
like kidney stones in people. It can be partially prevented Figure 1. Measure body length (BL) and heart girth (HG) in inches. Weight in
by keeping the calcium to phosphorus ratio in the diet lbs. = (HG x HG x BL)/300. You can estimate weight for your lamb using a sew-
greater than 2:1. Commercial feed mixtures often contain ing tape. For the diagonal measurement, measure the distance from the point
.5% ammonium chloride or .5% ammonium sulfate to help of the shoulder to the point of the hip. Go all the way around the heart girth
immediately behind the elbow for the other measurement. Be sure and depress
prevent urinary calculi.
the sewing tape with some pressure if the lamb has a good growth of wool.

Table 1: Nutrient Requirements of Lambsa

DRY MATTER NUTRIENTS PER ANIMAL

Body Daily Per % Crude
Weight Gain Animal Live TDN Protein Calcium Phosphorus
(lb) (lb) (lb) Weight (lb) (lb) (lb) (lb)
Growing - Lambs finishing - 4 to 7 months old
66 0.65 2.9 4.4 2.1 0.42 0.0146 0.0071
88 0.60 3.5 4.0 2.7 0.41 0.0146 0.0073
110 0.45 3.5 3.2 2.7 0.35 0.0123 0.0066
Early weaned lambs - Moderate growth potential
22 0.44 1.1 5.0 0.9 0.28 0.0088 0.0042
44 0.55 2.2 5.0 1.8 0.37 0.0119 0.0055
66 0.66 2.9 4.4 2.2 0.42 0.0148 0.0071
88 0.76 3.3 3.8 2.6 0.44 0.0170 0.0086
110 0.66 3.3 3.0 2.6 0.40 0.0154 0.0084
Early weaned lambs - Rapid growth potential
22 0.55 1.3 5.9 1.1 0.35 0.0108 0.0049
44 0.66 2.6 5.9 2.0 0.45 0.0143 0.0064
66 0.72 3.1 4.7 2.4 0.48 0.0159 0.0075
88 0.88 3.3 3.8 2.5 0.51 0.0190 0.0095
110 0.94 3.7 3.4 2.8 0.53 0.0207 0.0106
132 0.77 3.7 2.8 2.8 0.53 0.0181 0.0099
a To convert dry matter to an as-fed basis, divide dry matter values by the percentage of dry matter in the particular feed. Source of information:
Nutrient Requirements of Sheep, Sixth Revised Edition, 1985, ©1985; By The National Academy of Sciences

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension 3

 Table 2: Nutrient Requirements of Lambsa

DAILY DRYMATTER
Body Daily Per % Crude
Weight Gain Animal Live TDN Protein Calcium Phosphorus
(lb) (lb) (lb) Weight (%) (%) (%) (%)
Growing - Lambs finishing - 4 to 7 months old
66 0.65 2.9 4.4 72.4 14.5 0.50 0.24
88 0.60 3.5 4.0 77.1 11.7 0.42 0.21
110 0.45 3.5 3.2 77.1 10.0 0.35 0.19
Early weaned lambs - Moderate growth potential
22 0.44 1.1 5.0 81.8 25.5 0.80 0.38
44 0.55 2.2 5.0 81.8 16.8 0.54 0.25
66 0.66 2.9 4.4 75.9 14.5 0.51 0.24
88 0.76 3.3 3.8 78.8 13.3 0.51 0.26
110 0.66 3.3 3.0 78.8 12.1 0.47 0.25
Early weaned lambs - Rapid growth potential
22 0.55 1.3 5.9 84.6 26.9 0.83 0.37
44 0.66 2.6 5.9 76.9 17.3 0.55 0.25
66 0.72 3.1 4.7 77.4 15.5 0.51 0.24
88 0.88 3.3 3.8 75.8 15.5 0.57 0.29
110 0.94 3.7 3.4 75.7 14.3 0.56 0.29
132 0.77 3.7 2.8 75.7 14.3 0.49 0.27
a Values in Table 2 are calculated from daily requirements in Table 1.
Source of information: Nutrient Requirements of Sheep, Sixth Revised Edition, 1985,©1985, by The National Academy of Sciences

4 The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension

 Table 3. Energy and Protein Values for Different Feed Mixtures in Show Lamb Rations
Nutrient Composition of Feedstuffs
bermude grass hay alfalfa hay corn barley oats
%CP %TDN %CP %TDN %CP %TDN %CP %TDN %CP %TDN
8.9 46 12.9 50 10.1 91 12.9 84 12.2 76
Feed Mixtures
bermuda grass/
Feeding Rations bermuda grass /corn bermuda grass/oats alfalfa hay/corn alfalfa hay/barley alfalfa hay/oats
barley
%grain %forage %CP %TDN %CP %TDN %CP %TDN %CP %TDN %CP %TDN %CP %TDN
100 8.9 46.0 8.9 46.0 8.9 46.0 12.9 50.0 12.9 50.0 12.9 50.0
20 80 9.1 55.0 9.7 53.6 9.6 52.0 12.3 58.2 12.9 56.8 12.8 55.2
30 70 9.3 59.5 10.1 57.4 9.9 55.0 12.1 62.3 12.9 60.2 12.7 57.8
40 60 9.4 64.0 10.5 61.2 10.2 58.0 11.8 66.4 12.9 63.6 12.6 60.4
50 50 9.5 68.5 10.9 65.0 10.6 61.0 11.5 70.5 12.9 67.0 12.6 63.0
60 40 9.6 73.0 11.3 68.8 10.9 64.0 11.2 74.6 12.9 70.4 12.5 65.6
70 30 9.7 77.5 11.7 72.6 11.2 67.0 10.9 78.7 12.9 73.8 12.4 68.2
80 20 9.9 82.0 12.1 76.4 11.5 70.0 10.7 82.8 12.9 77.2 12.3 70.8
85 15 9.9 84.3 12.3 78.3 11.7 71.5 10.5 84.9 12.9 78.9 12.3 72.1
“Estimated TDN % in feeds containing 2% fat, 13% protein, and different levels of fiber as shown on feed labels*”
Different levels of ash + minerals on feed tag
%Fiber listed on feed tag 2 4 6 8 10 12
2 86.9 85.1 83.3 81.5 79.7 77.9
3 86.1 84.3 82.5 80.7 78.9 77.1
4 85.3 83.5 81.7 79.9 78.1 76.3
5 84.5 82.7 80.9 79.1 77.3 75.5
6 83.7 81.9 80.1 78.3 76.5 74.7
7 82.9 81.1 79.3 77.5 75.7 73.9
8 82.1 80.3 78.5 76.7 74.9 73.1
9 81.3 79.5 77.7 75.9 74.1 72.3

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension

10 80.5 78.7 76.9 75.1 73.3 71.5
“*For 16% protein, deduct .5% TDN. For example a feed tag with 2% ash, 2% fiber, and 16% protein would be 86.4 % TDN.”

5
“*For 10% protein, add .5% TDN. For example a feed tag with 2% ash, 2% fiber, and 10% protein would be 87.4 % TDN.”
“*For each 1% added fat, add 2.25% TDN.”
 Table 4. Minimal Feed Amounts Required for Show Lambs

Lbs. of dry matter feed required for zero gain

Sheep weight, lbs. 50% TDN 60% TDN 65% TDN 70% TDN 75% TDN
50 0.71 0.59 0.54 0.51 0.47
60 0.81 0.68 0.62 0.58 0.54
70 0.91 0.76 0.70 0.65 0.61
80 1.01 0.84 0.77 0.72 0.67
90 1.10 0.92 0.85 0.79 0.74
100 1.19 1.00 0.91 0.85 0.80
110 1.28 1.07 0.98 0.91 0.85
120 1.37 1.14 1.05 0.98 0.91
130 1.45 1.22 1.11 1.04 0.97
Additional lbs. of dry matter feed required above maintenance
ADG desired, lbs. 50% TDN 60% TDN 65% TDN 70% TDN 75% TDN
0.10 1.11 0.62 0.52 0.45 0.40
0.20 2.21 1.24 1.05 0.89 0.79
0.25 2.76 1.54 1.31 1.12 0.99
0.30 3.32 1.85 1.58 1.34 1.19
0.35 3.87 2.16 1.84 1.56 1.39
0.40 4.42 2.47 2.10 1.79 1.58
0.45 4.97 2.78 2.36 2.01 1.78
0.50 5.53 3.09 2.62 2.23 1.98
0.55 6.08 3.40 2.89 2.46 2.18
0.60 6.63 3.71 3.15 2.68 2.38
0.65 7.18 4.01 3.41 2.90 2.58
0.70 7.74 4.32 3.68 3.13 2.77
0.75 8.29 4.63 3.94 3.35 2.97
0.80 8.84 4.94 4.20 3.57 3.17
0.85 9.39 5.25 4.46 3.80 3.37
0.90 9.95 5.56 4.73 4.02 3.57
0.95 10.50 5.87 4.99 4.24 3.76
1.00 11.05 6.18 5.25 4.47 3.96

6 The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension

 Table 5. Composition Of Feeds

Dry Basis (Moisture-free)

Dry Crude
Protein TDN Calcium Phosphorus
Feedstuff Matter Fiber
(%) (%) (%) (%)
(%) (%)
Alfalfa, fresh 27.2 19.3 63 27.4 1.72 0.31
Alfalfa hay, prebloom 84.5 19.4 60 28.5 1.25 0.23
Alfalfa hay, midbloom 89.2 17.1 58 30.9 1.35 0.22
Alfalfa hay, full bloom 87.7 15.9 52 33.9 1.28 0.20
Alfalfa hay, mature 91.2 13.6 50 37.5 1.33 0.24
Alfalfa haylage 55.0 17.9 55 32.4 1.61 0.38
Alfalfa meal, dehydrated 93.0 19.2 61 26.1 1.43 0.26
Alfalfa silage 30.4 17.8 56 30.4 1.61 0.38
Alfalfa-brome, fresh 21.6 19.6 62 25.3 1.52 0.37
Barley, grain 89.0 13.0 84 5.6 0.09 0.47
Barley, straw 88.2 4.1 40 42.4 0.34 0.09
Beet molasses 77.0 8.7 89 - 0.21 0.04
Beet pulp, dried 91.0 10.0 74 20.9 0.75 0.11
Beet pulp, wet 10.0 9.0 72 20.0 0.90 0.10
Beet pulp with molasses, dried 92.0 9.9 76 17.4 0.61 0.11
Beet tops, ensiled 20.7 12.7 51 13.3 2.32 0.20
Bermuda grass hay 91.1 8.9 46 29.6 0.46 0.20
Bluegrass, fresh 30.5 17.3 63 25.1 0.56 0.47
Bluestem, fresh, immature 31.6 11.0 57 28.9 0.63 0.17
Brome, fresh, immature 32.5 20.3 63 23.9 0.30 0.26
Brome, fresh, mature 56.1 6.4 50 33.0 - -
Brome hay 89.7 11.8 52 32.0 0.30 0.26
Buffalo grass, fresh 47.7 9.2 56 27.7 0.52 0.16
Cactus, prickly pear 17.1 5.0 59 13.3 6.29 0.08
Canarygrass, fresh 25.8 13.2 56 26.8 0.40 0.30
Citrus molasses 65.0 10.9 77 - 2.01 0.25
Citrus pulp, dehydrated 90.0 7.3 82 14.4 2.18 0.13
Clover, red, hay 87.7 14.9 59 30.1 1.61 0.22
Corn and cob meal 87.0 9.3 90 9.2 0.50 0.31
Corn cobs, ground 90.4 2.8 47 35.8 0.12 0.04
Corn distillers’ grains dehydrated 92.0 29.8 88 9.8 0.10 0.40
Corn gluten feed 90.0 28.1 82 8.9 0.51 0.86
Corn gluten meal, dehydrated 91.0 47.1 84 4.4 0.18 0.44
Corn grain, No. 2 Dent 89.0 10.0 91 2.2 0.02 0.35

The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension 7

 Feedstuff Dry Protein TDN Crude Calcium Phosphorus
Matter (%) (%) (%) Fiber (%) (%) (%)
Corn silage, dough stage 27.9 8.4 70 26.3 0.28 0.06
Corn silage, mature 55.0 7.8 68 23.0 0.27 0.19
Corn stover, dry 87.2 5.9 59 37.1 0.49 0.09
Corn stover, silage 27.2 7.2 58 32.1 0.38 0.19
Corn, sweet, cannery refuse,
29.4 8.8 72 26.8 - -
ensiled
Cotton burrs 92.0 9.6 45 39.0 1.13 0.12
Cottonseed 92.7 24.9 94 18.2 0.15 0.73
Cottonseed hulls 90.3 4.1 41 47.5 0.16 0.10
Cottonseed meal, expeller 94.0 43.6 78 12.8 0.17 1.28
Cottonseed meal, solvent 91.5 44.8 75 13.1 0.17 1.31
Fescue hay 88.5 10.5 54 31.2 0.50 0.36
Grama grass, fresh, immature 41.0 13.1 64 27.2 0.53 0.19
Grama grass, fresh, mature 63.4 6.5 58 32.7 0.34 0.12
Grass-legume silage 29.3 11.8 56 31.4 0.78 0.28
Johnson grass hay 91.0 7.6 55 33.3 0.81 -.31
Lespedeza, fresh 25.0 16.4 60 32.0 1.35 0.21
Linseed meal, expeller 91.0 38.8 81 9.9 0.48 0.98
Linseed meal, solvent 91.0 38.6 76 9.8 0.44 0.91
Milk, dry, skim 94.0 35.6 80 0.2 1.34 1.09
Milk, whole 12.0 25.8 130 0.0 - -
Molasses, sugarcane 75.0 4.3 72 - 1.19 0.11
Oat hay 88.2 9.2 61 31.0 0.26 0.24
Oat silage 31.7 9.7 59 31.6 0.37 0.30
Oat straw 90.1 4.4 45 41.0 0.78 0.10
Oats, grain 89.0 13.2 76 10.0 0.11 0.39
Orchard grass, fresh 23.8 18.4 65 23.6 0.58 0.55
Orchard grass hay 88.3 9.7 57 34.0 0.45 0.37
Prairie hay, midbloom 91.0 8.1 57 32.1 0.34 0.21
Prairie hay, late bloom 91.3 6.6 53 32.5 0.36 0.13
Prairie hay, overripe 91.5 4.0 48 35.4 0.52 0.08
Rice bran 91.0 14.8 66 12.1 0.07 2.00
Rye grain 89.0 13.4 85 2.2 0.07 0.38
Ryegrass, Italian, fresh 24.3 16.3 62 21.8 0.64 0.41
Safflower meal, solvent 90.5 49.1 76 9.4 0.26 1.83
Sorghum grain, milo 89.0 12.4 80 2.2 0.04 0.33
Sorghum silage, sorgo 26.0 6.3 58 26.8 0.35 0.20
Sorghum stover, milo, silage 29.4 7.3 57 26.3 0.25 0.18
Sorghum stover, milo, sun-cured 85.1 5.3 57 32.6 0.40 0.11

8 The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension

 Feedstuff Dry Protein TDN Crude Calcium Phosphorus
Matter (%) (%) (%) Fiber (%) (%) (%)
Soybean hay 89.2 16.3 52 32.1 1.29 0.23
Soybean hulls, flakes 91.3 13.7 64 38.9 0.59 0.17
Soybean meal, solvent 89.0 51.5 81 6.7 0.36 0.75
Soybean seeds 90.0 42.1 94 37.9 0.28 0.66
Soybean straw 87.6 5.5 38 44.1 1.59 0.06
Sudan grass, fresh 17.6 16.8 70 23.0 0.43 0.41
Sudan grass, hay 88.9 8.0 56 36.0 0.55 0.30
Timothy, fresh, midbloom 28.1 9.6 66 33.7 0.50 0.35
Timothy, hay, late bloom 88.0 8.3 58 32.4 0.38 0.18
Trefoil, birdsfoot, fresh 20.0 21.0 66 24.7 1.91 0.22
Turnips, roots, fresh 9.3 9.0 85 11.5 0.64 0.26
Vetch, hay 88.2 20.0 62 28.5 1.36 0.34
Wheat, fresh, immature 21.5 28.6 73 17.4 1.36 0.40
Wheat bran 89.0 18.0 70 11.2 0.16 1.32
Wheat grain 88.0 18.0 87 2.9 0.06 0.41
Wheat middlings 90.0 19.1 69 8.9 0.16 1.01
Wheat straw 90.1 3.6 45 41.5 0.17 0.08
Wheatgrass, crested, fresh 30.8 23.6 67 32.6 0.46 0.35
Whey, dried 94.0 13.9 81 - 0.93 0.84
Yeast, brewers’, dried 93.0 47.9 78 3.2 0.14 1.54
Yeast, Torula, dried 93.0 51.9 80 2.2 0.61 1.81
Source: Adapted from feed tables in Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle, Subcommittee on Beef Cattle Nutrition, National Research Council. National Academy
Press, Washington, D.C., 1976, 1984
ARIZONA COOP E R AT I V E

E TENSION
THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURE AND LIFE SCIENCES

The University of Arizona

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Tucson, Arizona 85721
Jim Sprinkle
Area Extension Agent, Animal Science &
Gila County Cooperative Extension Director

Contact:
Jim Sprinkle
sprinkle@ag.arizona.edu

This information has been reviewed by University faculty.

cals.arizona.edu/pubs/animal/az1053.pdf
Originally published: 1999
Other titles from Arizona Cooperative Extension can be found at:
cals.arizona.edu/pubs

Any products, services or organizations that are mentioned, shown or indirectly implied in this publication
do not imply endorsement by The University of Arizona.
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture,
James A. Christenson, Director, Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, The University of Arizona.
The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color,
religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.
The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension 9